The Best Electric Blankets (Are Surprisingly Stylish)

A plush, brown faux-fur electric blanket is draped over a rust-colored couch, with an open magazine and glasses resting on it.

I grew up in coastal North Carolina, where the average winter temperature hovers in the 50s.

Then I moved to Boston for college.

There, I spent many brutal winters living in an apartment with a fickle, antiquated heating system and a management company that was less than prompt in its repairs. That’s when I became familiar with the benefits of electric blankets and the problems you might run into when using them — one of them being that they can be quite ugly. I kept mine hidden in a rattan storage box in the corner of my living room whenever guests came over.

On the plus side, electric blankets can cut your heating bill. According to the US Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% a year by lowering your thermostat by 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit from your usual setting for eight hours a day. Heated bedding enables you to do this more comfortably all winter long while barely increasing your electric bill.

For this guide, I was determined to find electric blankets that deliver significant warmth and durability while also looking great on a sofa or accent chair. After 12 weeks researching dozens of electric blankets and testing eight of them in our very air-conditioned office, I found three truly effective options, all of which I’d happily display in my living room.



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